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Rack Integration

Rack Integration

Rack integration is a complex task with many potential pitfalls that even the most knowledgeable IT Manager or Systems Engineer may not have considered. Partnering up with Steatite means that you can benefit from our vast experience to prevent costly mistakes and makes sure everything is done right first time.

When outsourcing something as complex as rack integration, you need to be 100% confident that the end solution will be built to specifications and standards that your customers expect from you. We work with you each step of the way, from design to delivery, to ensure everything we do meets your expectations and that there are no nasty surprises.

Design

All too often people will source all the hardware that they need to fit into a rack without considering whether it is physically possible to build and cable the rack, while adequately supporting, powering and cooling all the hardware.

This has the potential to cause significant project delays and cost overruns. Properly understanding what hardware needs to fit into a rack, how it needs to be cabled up, which devices produce significant heat and the type of environment that it will be used in, allows us to model the complete rack and hone the design before any hardware is even purchased.

For the hardware that we are asked to select, we will always choose components that are the best fit for the application and that are expected to be in production for the longest period (e.g. typically 5-7 years for our industrial computers). This helps to keep costs down, while maximizing the amount of time that we can supply and support any rack build for.

We take a ‘measure twice’ approach to every aspect of the design of an integrated rack, meaning a second engineer will go through a proposed build in detail to make sure everything is in order before the design is approved for procurement and production.

Customisation

Taking an off-the-shelf product and tweaking it for your application often leads to a compromise in the overall capability of the solution, or hardware being over specified for the job in hand, potentially resulting in an unhappy customer that must pay more than they should for a solution that doesn’t do everything they need it to.

Our desire is to provide a solution that is right for you, not one that will make us the most money or will be easiest for us to design or build. Steatite’s engineers can customise virtually any aspect of a rack build, from the cabinet itself, to the servers inside; just let us know what you need and we’ll come up with the simplest and most efficient solution for you.

Documentation

Building something right first time is vital, but if you’re depending on memory to build the next one, it’s going to take longer, end up being different and mistakes could be made. If you’ve got different people building the next rack, then the issues can be multiplied.

Nobody wants to receive ‘identical’ products that are cabled or labelled differently or where servers are in different places – this would cause problems from a support, maintenance and certification perspective.

Keeping a detailed record of what we are building, with clear instructions, photos and diagrams, guarantees the consistency of all our racks, regardless of who builds them and when. Commissioning, support and maintenance tasks are simplified by the inclusion of detailed manuals written specifically for your build.

Project Management

Rack integration projects can be complex; potentially involving 100s of individual components, 10s of different suppliers and countless different people along the way, which if left un-managed can lead to delays, errors and additional expense.

To ensure that everyone does what they’re supposed to, when they’re supposed to, each rack integration project we undertake has a named Project Manager who will have overall control and knowledge of all aspects of the build and logistics, guaranteeing that everything goes as smoothly as you’d expect.

Operating Temperature

Installing a standard ‘data centre’ rack on a ship or submarine is never going to end well, conversely putting a rack through shock, vibration and temperature testing and then using it in an air-conditioned server room is just a waste of time and money.

Correctly understanding the environment where the rack will be installed is vital to guaranteeing it will have a long and trouble-free service life, while also ensuring you don’t end up spending money where you don’t need to.

Our design engineers have a thorough working knowledge of EMC, cooling design and shock/vibration, which means we can design the most suitable rack for your military, industrial or commercial application, regardless of the environmental challenges.

Learn More

To learn more about how we may be able to help with your next project, please give the team a call on 01527 512 400, or email us at computers@steatite.co.uk